


ghost of a touch

by Drhair76



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Gen, Multi, Protective Julie Molina, Protective Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:22:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27639497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drhair76/pseuds/Drhair76
Summary: "Willie." Alex says, his voice breathless, almost unrecognizable. Caught red handed.Willie gapes a little, like he can't believe what he's seeing. "Alex? Is it really you?"or, everyone in this show is touch starved, have a bunch of dabbles abt them and touch <3
Relationships: Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Flynn & Julie Molina, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 11
Kudos: 200





	1. HUG

**Author's Note:**

> every single day I think about touched starved willie. every single day. 😣❣

Alex stops short.

There he is- Willie, helmet on his head, board under his feet- doing tricks in the park. He looks good. Well, he always looks good. But it's almost as if the sun is shining directly on him; like the clouds moved out the way to say, _hey_ _,_ _here's_ _the_ _most_ _beautiful_ _boy_ _you've_ _ever_ _seen,_ _you_ _couldn't_ _miss_ _him._

Alex watches for what's most likely too long by normal people's standards as he skates. Willie drops off the ramp smooth, then carves around, looking like he's floating on air, like he's all the wind and the whole sky mixed up into one person. He's probably planning to move into another trick when their eyes meet across the concrete. Willie nearly trips over his wheels as he hastens to a stop.

"Willie." Alex says, his voice breathless, almost unrecognizable. Caught red handed.

Willie gapes a little, like he can't believe what he's seeing. "Alex? Is it really you?"

Alex nods once, frozen in place. He doesn't know what to do- how to go about this. He wants- well, Alex _w_ _ants_ to cup Willie's face in his hands, brush his thumbs over Willie's cheekbones, press their foreheads together gently. He wants to tuck his face into the hallow of Willie's throat, wants to burrow there and never leave, wants to say _don't_ _go_ _anywhere_ _that_ _I_ _can't_ _follow-_ _not_ _again._

Alex wants so much of _everything_ with Willie that it physically hurts him. It crowds up his senses and makes him unintelligible, spouting half written song lyrics to no one. Willie turns him to dust- breaks him up and then puts him back together with just one look. What is Alex supposed to do with all of that? What rules does he follow? And how does he keep all that emotion tucked up inside, instead of plastering it all over his face the way he's been told that he's prone to do?

Alex doesn't know; doesn't have an answer. So he just stands still, letting Willie set the pace, letting Willie come to him.

Willie must see that Alex isn't budging because he drops his board and takes slow steps closer. It's three steps away that Alex's eyes fix onto Willie's curls- shining to different shades in the sunlight- two steps and Alex can see Willie's eyes clearly- deep dark wide pools- one step and-

Willie's lips are parting, shaping those familiar vowels. "Alex," he says, "you're here."

"I'm here." Alex repeats, unable to think with Willie so close. Unable to reroute his gaze away from Willie's mouth.

Willie makes a sound- some kind of cross between a gasp of relieved laughter and a choke of disbelief- and then the gap between them is closed. Willie crashes into Alex, pulling him close, flush against him. Alex falters for half a second, tense all over, but then Willie tucks his face against the side of Alex's neck and all of that dissipates. Alex moves to fold his arms around Willie, breathing him in- sweet air and fresh cut grass, like every spring day that Alex has been waiting for.

"I missed you," Willie whispers, voice muffled. The feeling of his lips brushing against Alex's neck make little goosebumps erupt all over. "I thought you were-"

"I'm not." Alex says. "We didn't. We're- we're alright."

"Good." Willie sighs.

Alex can't help himself and squeezes Willie tighter, hoping some of that _I'm_ _following_ _you_ _this_ _time_ that's playing through his mind gets through. Willie doesn't even complain, just sinks into the hold more. They stay like that for a while; until the feeling of Willie pressed against him is etched into Alex's memory, until they're both swaying in the breeze, completely in sync, dancing to a silent song.


	2. BRUISE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She shuts the door behind her and drops her bag. "Hi Reggie. It was- school. I don't know. Nothing much happened."
> 
> Almost instantly Reggie's internal something-is-not-right-with-my-friends radar pings.

Reggie beams when the front door starts to unlock. Julie steps inside, her head low, eyes downcast. She's moving slow, her hands tucked into her sweater sleeves like she's freezing even though it's eight degrees outside. 

"Julie!" Reggie calls. "How was school?"

She shuts the door behind her and drops her bag. "Hi Reggie. It was- school. I don't know. Nothing much happened."

Almost instantly Reggie's internal _something-_ _is-_ _not-_ _right_ - _with-m_ _y-f_ _riends_ radar pings. And for good reason too, because something is _not_ right with Julie. She's distant, eyes faraway, her voice missing that jubilant melody that makes her _Julie_ _._

He jumps down from his seat at the counter and intercepts her on her way up the stairs. He knows that she could just walk through him but she doesn't. She's polite like that.

"Julie, is everything alright?" He asks. "You seem...I don't know, not okay?"

Julie's face goes through a complicated set of emotions way too quickly for Reggie to decipher before landing on resigned.

"Guess I'm just not feeling well Reg, I'll be okay after a rest. I promise."

He frowns, _knowing_ there's something off, but missing it. "Okay..." Then, as a last ditch effort, he goes, "Hug?"

Julie's eyes widen, then soften, and a tiny, only half-there grin tugs her lips upward. She falls into his open arms, pressing her face into his chest. Reggie wraps his arms around her, pressing a kiss into her hair, hoping upon all hope that even _a_ _fraction_ of his efforts are making her feel better.

He hears her sigh, "Thank you Reggie," and takes that as his cue to let her go.

As she pulls back, however, Reggie's eyes catch on to her wrist. It was covered by her sweater before but now, it's bare, and Reggie couldn't miss the bruise standing out on her skin if he _tried._

"Julie, what the hell?" He asks, because really- _what_ _the_ _hell._ "What happened?"

Julie follows his gaze down to her exposed wrist and she pulls away further, covering it up again. "It's nothing Reg, just a bruise."

"What happened?" He asks again, voice serious. Reggie knows all about bruises that get covered up, marks that get hidden. He knows what it is to be in pain and keep it quiet. He doesn't want the same for Julie, whose smile brightens the room, whose happiness is contagious, who makes everyone around her feel more alive just by proximity. "Please, Julie. I want to help."

Julie's eyes flicker across Reggie's face for a moment before she sighs softly. He watches carefully as she pulls back her sleeve. On second glance it isn't as bad as he thought- it's just the faintest of markings, the very beginnings of a dark shadow. It'll probably stay for two days, maybe three and that makes him relax. 

Reggie reaches out a hand and gently brushes his fingers over it. "Does it hurt when I do this?"

She shakes her head.

"What happened?"

Julie is quiet for a second. "It was Nick. He grabbed me during class a little too hard. I'm sure it was an accident though. He couldn't have meant to do it."

Reggie frowns, then brushes against the bruise again, wishing he could erase it. "Don't do that Jules. Don't minimize it. Hurt is hurt, no matter who does it. No matter how it happens."

Julie nods slowly, then, softly, like a confession, she says "I- I was a little scared. He's never done that before."

"Yeah? Do you want to talk about it? Or go rest like you said earlier?"

"I think I want to rest." She says, then reaches for his hand. "But maybe we can nap together?"

Reggie smiles, instantly curling his fingers into hers. "Whatever you want Julie. I'm always here for you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> caleb!nick better keep his hands OFF Julie or else 😡


	3. 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I was just playing around with some ideas." He says, still sounding a little flustered. "But then I got a little stuck." 
> 
> "Can I hear it?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)

She finds him sitting on the studio floor, back to the couch, with his song journal on the floor in front of him. His arms are wrapped tight around himself, rubbing as if he was cold, but Julie knew better. Ghosts couldn't get cold.

No, she knew what this was. She sees it in all her boys, even Willie when he drops by- that self soothing hold, the clinging hands, the way they gravitate towards each other and stick like velcro.

_hambre de piel_ is what her dad calls it, touch deprivation is what Google calls it- 

But touch starved sums it up pretty nicely for Julie.

"Luke?" She calls softly, trying her best not to startle him. Thankfully, he doesn't, just looks up, eyes wide.

His expression softens though, probably when he catches sight of her fluffy paw slippers. "Hey Jules, are you heading to bed?"

"I was." She steps closer then sits next to him on the ground. "But I wanted to come down here first. Hang out a little."

Luke hums and opens his mouth to speak before stopping short in surprise. And no kidding, because Julie reached over, curled a hand around his wrist and moved his arm so it's around her shoulders. When she burrows into his side, she can _hear_ his breathing stop.

She lets the moment hang in the air for a second before asking, "What are you working on?"

That seems to jumpstart his brain because he instantly relaxes, curling his arm around her snugly and huffing a laugh of disbelief. Julie smiles. She likes that sound. That's his _wow-julie-molina's-knocked-me-off-my-feet-again_ laugh and it's just for her.

"I was just playing around with some ideas." He says, still sounding a little flustered. "But then I got a little stuck."

"Can I hear it?"

Luke clears his throat and-

_strangers that grow, grow into something more_   
_friends that change, change into yours_   
_I_ _think_ _I_ _wanna jump_ _through_ _the clouds_ _with_ _you, burn up the sky and bring it down with you_

He drops off there _,_ peeking at her shyly. "That's all I've got so far."

Julie shifts, tucking her arm around his lower back, rubbing gently. He relaxes further, sighing a bit. She bets all the money she's got saved that touching her is different than touching other ghosts. That it feels more solid. She can tell it by the way that the boys cling to her when they're tangible. There's a hidden desperation there that makes Julie wish she could hug them all day.

"Hm, it's a little bit slower than what we're used to." She observes.

"Yeah, I don't know." He says, flipping the book closed with his other hand. "I guess it was more like one of Reggie's country songs. Something just for the band."

Julie likes the sound of that. Of _friends_ _that_ _change,_ _change_ _into_ _yours_ being just for the four of them. Julie and the Phantoms is for everybody, but Julie's phantoms are hers and hers alone. She'll unabashedly keep them tucked inside her heart where they belong.

Julie snuggles closer to Luke, biting back a smile because they fit together like puzzle pieces. "I think it's really well-written. A change of pace can be good sometimes- it keeps us fresh."

"Maybe we'll drop an acoustic album one day." Luke says, voice quieter now. The length of the day clearly just hitting him. "After the country album of course."

"Of course."

"Then maybe we'll dip into the musical scene- write a rock musical like Green Day did."

"Luke?"

"Hmm?" He hums, sounding half awake.

"Hush. Naptime. We'll write albums in the morning."

"Mh'kay." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the way that jatp turned me into a song writer....insane! that's called brainrot!!


End file.
